Fireflies
by bitternessbitesback
Summary: Rukia's never seen lightning bugs before so Ichigo decides to take matters into his own hands.


At first Ichigo was shocked to learn the small shinigami had never seen fireflies before, but once he though about it made sense. Rukia lived in the spirit world pretty much her entire life and only visited the human world when she needed to off a hollow. With all she'd been through it was no wonder she hadn't had time to just sit back and see the wonders the world has to offer. It was with those thoughts Ichigo made up his mind to show her, after all she'd enjoyed it when they ice skated so she'd enjoy this too right? She likes animals, though fireflies aren't technically the same he was sure she would love them all the same. Looking to the small woman shifting awkwardly in front of him from the confession, he simply takes her hand and drags her outside. Despite her protests, Rukia follows behind him, curious about his reaction.

The sun was still relatively high in the sky when Ichigo made his decision, so he took her the mountains by his house and told her they were going hiking. She rolls her eyes at him and smacks his arm, telling him he should've at least brought water bottles or something before just waltzing out of the house. He paid her no mind as he continued walking and no longer holding her hand. Yes, he realizes he should've thought about it for more than a second, but he has tunnel vision! He can't help it that once he gets something in his head he sticks to it, which was something him and Rukia shared. Other than their explosive tempers, they both had the tenancy to be more than a little stubborn. Of course they weren't too similar otherwise Ichigo didn't know if he'd be able to stand it. She, despite everything, has a childlike wonder of the world. Yes, she is very professional and when he first met her had thought her to be stoic, but that isn't all she is. Rukia loves bunnies, stuffed animals, and is incredibly compassionate.

They pass a convenience store and Ichigo decides that the blue-eyed girl is right as he walks in. She's surprisingly silent as she follows him in, only breaking away from him to find what she wanted. Ichigo grabs a couple of bottled waters, some protein bars, and even some sandwiches. Rukia joins him at the counter and places chocolate bars with the rest of the stuff. Once out of the store they make idle conversation as they continue towards the mountain. They talked about whatever came to their minds as they hiked, stopping occasionally to rest on some rocks. While they both had an remarkable endurance, the air is thinner the higher you go so taking breaks was for the best. Besides, Rukia's gigai could only handle so much. Despite the necessary breaks, they both made it up the mountain with time to spare as the sun started to set. Sitting down on the wooden bench table combo, Ichigo offers Rukia a sandwich that she gladly accepts.

"What are we doing up here?" The shinigami questions between bites.

"Hiking obviously," The orange haired male replies smartly.

"Well duh," Rukia says while rolling her eyes, "I meant why are we hiking?"

He just shrugs in reply, a knowing look in his eyes, and a smirk on his face. She merely huffs in annoyance at his antics and continues to eat her food. While the sunset is gorgeous in and of itself, Rukia knew Ichigo didn't bring her up a mountain to see this. Stuffing her face with chocolate bars, she revels in the peaceful silence. It isn't often she got to feel so tranquil with all the drama going on in the Soul Society. Closing her violet eyes, she lets herself go and listens to the world around her. The crickets themselves begin to chirp with the setting of the sun. Feeling eyes on her, Rukia opens her own and looks over at Ichigo. She's about to ask him what he wants before something catches her attention from the corner of her eye. Turning around, she sees something glowing in the grass. Looking back at the male in confusion, he merely shakes his head with a small smile on his normally scowling face. Suddenly there's more yellow colored lights coming from the grass and then rise up into the sky.

"Are these-" She starts to question, fascination in her voice.

"Fireflies?" He finishes for her, "Yeah."

She looks back at him for a second, amazement in her eyes and a smile blooming on her face. Suddenly Ichigo felt his own smile grow a little bit, Rukia's joy somehow contagious to him. Looking around at the bugs around him, he remembers how he told his mom it made him feel like the stars were coming down to say hello. Shaking his head slightly at the nostalgic memory, he focuses his attention on the girl across from him. Her smile is wide as she follows the insects movements with her eyes. In all honesty, to Ichigo she looked like she was taken right from a fairy tale. Briefly images of him being her prince flew through his mind before he could stop the intrusive thoughts. A light blush rose to his face in embarrassment and he looked away from her for a second to the bugs around them, stupefied at the odd thoughts. No he wouldn't be her prince, she didn't need one.

"They're really beautiful." Rukia tells him, a sense of wonder written all over her features.

"Yeah," He replies, his eyes stuck on her, "They really are."


End file.
